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Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
To snuff out toxic garbage fires, Nuh bans open waste burning in Aravalli
Nuh: In a major crackdown on rampant environmental violations in the ecologically fragile Aravallis, Nuh deputy commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena on Thursday invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to impose a blanket ban on all forms of open waste burning within Aravalli boundaries across the district. The order follows mounting reports of toxic waste being set ablaze near Khori Khurd village—allegedly by industrial units from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan—causing irreversible harm to local ecosystems and nearby residents. 'The Aravallis are not a dumping ground,' Meena said. 'This is an environmental emergency.' Officials from the forest department, pollution control board and police have been deployed to the site, with instructions to lodge FIRs against violators. A five-member team led by SDM Tauru has been tasked with inspecting affected areas and filing a detailed report. The action follows mounting evidence and public outcry over night-time waste fires that have blanketed the hills with toxic smoke. The fires are believed to be the result of unprocessed legacy waste, including chemically treated industrial scrap, being dumped and burnt to clear land for illegal farmhouses and construction. Advocate Haseen Khan, a resident of Khori village in Tauru who first flagged the issue on social media, said he was under pressure to retract his statements. 'This is a nexus. I have seen trucks from Rajasthan dumping plastic and chemical waste behind the village water body. When I complained, I was asked to name farmers. Why should I? The authorities must investigate. Wildlife is dying, our air is toxic and no one is held accountable,' he said. Meena said two tractor-trolleys were recently seized from panchayat land where scrap dealers had set fire to waste. Forest and revenue officials have been instructed to file FIRs under the Indian Forest Act and Environment (Protection) Act. Senior district officials said over 13 polluting industrial units were shut in the area by the Haryana Pollution Control Board in December 2024 for violating emission norms. However, the illegal operations appear to have resumed. 'The worst part is that many of these offenders are encroaching on government and forest land. It's a direct assault on the Aravallis,' a senior forest official said, asking not to be named. Meena warned that any negligence by government officers will not be tolerated. 'If any departmental official is found complicit or inactive, disciplinary action will follow,' he said, adding that all departments have been directed to conduct continuous patrolling in identified hot spots. With fires being reported in ecologically crucial zones near water bodies, drain and behind dams—areas critical for groundwater recharge—activists warn that the ecological cost of inaction will be enormous. 'These fires are not just illegal; they are suicidal. They're turning the green lungs of NCR into a chemical graveyard,' said Vaishali Rana, a city-based environmentalist. With increasing pressure from environmentalists, Haryana has shut its borders to industrial waste-laden trucks coming from Rajasthan, especially those heading into the Mangar and Bandhwari forest belt. A statewide alert has been issued to block tractor-trolleys and dumpers registered as 'agricultural vehicles' being misused for commercial dumping operations—many of which have allegedly been caught burning toxic waste in the forest. Earlier, last week, authorities identified five Rajasthan-based companies that were clandestinely transporting scrap, plastic, and cardboard for illegal disposal in the Aravallis. Notices are being prepared to hold them accountable, said district officials. Wildlife conservationists welcomed the move, citing that repeated dumping operations had killed ground-nesting birds, destroyed seedling patches and levelled hill slopes for illegal farmhouses.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
5 firms that burn waste in Aravallis under scanner, probe ordered
Gurugram: Authorities in Nuh have identified five companies from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, that have been illegally dumping and burning chemical-laced industrial waste in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli region, causing severe environmental damage and health hazards for local communities. The breakthrough follows a HT exposé that revealed rampant waste burning in the Khori Kalan and Khori Khurd villages near the Haryana-Rajasthan border, which has been linked to recurring forest fires and deteriorating air quality. Nuh deputy commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena formed a five-member fact-finding committee on Friday after mounting pressure from residents and media reports highlighting the crisis. 'We took suo motu cognisance and have formed a committee to investigate,' Meena said. The panel—comprising the SDM Tawadu, district forest officer, DSP Tawadu, and a regional officer from the Pollution Control Board—seized a tractor-trolley loaded with chemical waste during an inspection of the site on Friday. The trolley contained evidence, including discarded packaging and chemical drums, that helped trace the waste back to industrial units in Bhiwadi. 'We have collected substantial material from the dump site in Khori Kalan, and based on packing slips and container labels, five companies from Bhiwadi have been identified. Notices will be prepared and issued to them shortly,' Meena added. Local residents describe an organised racket where contractors, paid by industries to process waste responsibly, instead transport it to Aravalli buffer zones and burn it using hazardous chemicals to cut costs. 'This is a full-fledged nexus. Some local contractors with ties to Bhiwadi-based industrial units are dumping waste in the forest, and burning it using hazardous chemicals,' said Haseen Khan, an advocate from Khori village in Tauru who first raised the issue on social media. Khan alleges that agricultural vehicles are being misused for commercial waste transport to evade taxes. 'Despite repeated complaints, enforcement remained sluggish until the fire broke out,' he said. The crisis escalated earlier this week when a massive fire in Tauru, allegedly sparked by chemical waste, spread dangerously close to residential areas and forest corridors, prompting urgent intervention from both Haryana and Rajasthan officials. Akhtar Ali, a Khori Khurd resident, described seeing tractor-trolleys arriving at dawn to offload plastic and cardboard scrap on forest fringes. 'The entire village has been inhaling toxic smoke. Birds, trees, and small wildlife are perishing in silence,' he said. Despite official promises of intensified action, residents remain sceptical. 'We have given officials videos of the fires, and still, they keep asking for evidence. If this isn't enough, what is?' said one villager who wished to remain anonymous. A Haryana Pollution Control Board officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that previous complaints had lacked corroborative evidence but promised: 'Now with new proof and seized materials, raids will be intensified. Our teams will conduct surprise night checks. No violator will be spared.' Environmentalist Vaishali Rana warned that the illegal dumping threatens local biodiversity, including protected species, while contaminating groundwater and undermining the Aravallis' role as an ecological buffer for the National Capital Region. Residents are demanding a permanent ban on such waste operations and constant patrolling to prevent further environmental destruction.
